Alpha Douchebag: The Virgin: Gabriel & Willow duet #2 (Alpha Douchebags of Grifton Falls University) Read online

I put a hand on his arm. “I promise, Alann. I know you don’t know me well, but I consider you one of my best friends. You and Ragan. Y’all two are the only ones who will keep me, I guess.”

  We both laugh and he leans over and kisses my temple. “What I meant when I said that… is you’re not my type.”

  I crunch my brow, not really understanding. This isn’t the first time he said this and like the first time, it’s just as disconcerting as before. “Yes. You’ve told me that before. I get it.”

  He looks me right in the eyes and his gaze is pleading. “Willow. You don’t get it. You’re female, right?”

  “My vagina says so.”

  He snorts, rolling his eyes. “Your people aren’t my type.”

  “My people?”

  “Your sex. They’re not my type.”

  “What?” I look him over, and still, I don’t—

  “Oh. Ooooh! Wow. That’s… thank you for trusting me with your secret. I won’t tell anyone.”

  This burst of emotion overwhelms within me and I throw myself into his arms, giving him a hug, I hope conveys my feelings of friendship for him.

  His strong arms wrap around me, and I feel him press his mouth on my temple. “Thanks, Willow. You’re the only person I’ve ever told.”

  That takes me back. “No one knows? Ragan does.”

  His eyes widen, “What? How?”

  “Said she figured you out. When I asked, she wouldn’t tell me.”

  We both lean back, and this chagrin takes over his features. “Well, you two are the only ones.

  I hug him harder. “I’ll be here, Alann. If you ever need me. I promise.”

  I feel him nod his head and apparently done with the conversation, he grabs his remote and flips on a movie on Netflix. Already feeling like crap, and totally drained, I yawn, cuddle in closer by laying my head on his broad, warm chest and close my eyes. I feel his hand petting the top of my head and I’m lulled into sleep.

  Two

  Willow

  Bang!

  I’m suddenly jerked awake. “Alann?”

  “Mmmm… What, Will?”

  “I think someone—

  There’s a hard pounding knock on the door.

  “WORSCH!”

  My eyes widen. “Gabriel.” His name comes out breathless. “Oh, God. What is he doing here?”

  “I’m sure you can guess. Fuck. He’s going to—

  We jerk back as the door splinters and Gabriel crashes in. This complete look of livid anger mars his face. His eyes go from me, to Alann and his gaze narrows. His neck is burning red and he looks so volatile and livid, smoke could be steaming out from his ears.

  “You dare touch my girl?” Gabriel stalks towards the couch as Alann and I stand up.

  And I’m surprised Alann isn’t intimidated by him. “Hey, Saint. After tonight, she’ll never be your girl.”

  I look at Alann, my eyes widening. What is he doing?

  “Alann.” I don’t want them to fight. I don’t know what I’m feeling for Gabriel, but I also know, I didn’t give him a chance to explain. Yes, he hurt my feelings deeply, but I’m not one to give up that easily. I just needed the time to think and be alone.

  “No, Willow.” Alann is vehement in his protectiveness for me. “He doesn’t get to treat you like trash. Just because his father is richer than God, doesn’t make him infallible. Don’t stick up for him. Don’t be stupid.”

  Wow. He’s never called me that before and he grits his jaw, instantly contrite. But he doesn’t get a word in as Gabriel steps up to him, grips him by the collar of his neck and punches him hard in the face.

  I can’t help the scream that lets out when Gabriel says in a deadly, quiet calm, “Don’t ever speak to her like that.”

  Alann doesn’t look at Gabriel, instead he looks at me and says, “I’m sorry Will. It was wrong of me.”

  Gabriel yanks him again and I step up to him and put my hand on his pumped-up bicep. Flexed to the max as rigid anger flows off him in waves.

  “Gabriel. Please don’t. Nothing happened. He’s a friend. You know we have English Lit together and study. We have lunch together and that’s all. You know this.”

  Alann snorts. “Don’t justify yourself to him. I can beat his ass just the same.”

  “Alann. Please. I don’t want y’all fightin’. Gabriel. Look at me.”

  His eyes, so dark and green, almost fathomless, turn to me, this wave of heat seems to pass between us. I put my other hand on his bulking bicep and squeeze gently.

  “Gabriel.”

  With a tight jaw, his slams Alann against the wall. “Stay away from what’s mine.”

  “She’s not property, Saint. You hurt her if you can’t figure that out.”

  I look down because yes, he did hurt my feelings. Badly.

  “Gabriel. Let him go.”

  “No. He shouldn't have tried to take what’s mine.”

  I try pulling a little harder and I know it’s because he doesn’t want me hurting myself that he lets up, but not all the way.

  “Gabriel. It’s not as if we’re married. You can’t go around acting like this.”

  “Not yet.”

  That takes all three of us by surprise.

  “Damn, bro. That’s—,” Gabriel shoots him a look and Alann pretends to zip his lips muttering, “Shutting up.”

  I don’t want him to punch Alann again. What I just learned about Alann; I really should have figured it out. Like Ragan did.

  I gently squeeze his bicep again and he finally turns, and I see his eyes are glassy with drunkenness. He really is drunk. I’ve never seen him like this.

  “Gabriel. Let’s go.”

  “Don’t go with him, Willow. He’s drunk and what if he hurts you again?”

  Gabriel shoves Alann hard against the wall, let’s go, and he falls to the ground.

  “Asshole,” Alann mutters, “It’s the truth and you know it. I remember what went down with you and Lochlan because of Duncan last year.”

  “Shut your fucking mouth, Worsch. I would never hurt Willow.”

  “You think you won’t. You did tonight though. Her tears soaked my shirt earlier. But I’m just looking out for her.”

  “Look out for her at a fucking distance, Worsch.”

  I pull Gabriel back and wait until he’s looking down at me. “Gabriel, let’s go.”

  “Willow.” Alann pleads, but I know I can handle Gabriel.

  “I’m okay, Alann. He won’t hurt me.”

  He snorts as if he doesn’t believe me, but I’m not looking at Alann. My eyes are trained on Gabriel. There’s a pain there that sends a tremble through me.

  “Text me when you get home, Will. Let me know you made it safely.”

  Gabriel jerks to a halt, his eyes wide, fury igniting in his expression once again.

  “Don’t, Gabriel.”

  But he ignores me and says, “She won’t ever be texting you again, Worsch. You can just forget about it.”

  “Gabriel!” This time I smack his arm to get his attention. He looks at me and I’m not letting him get a word this time. “Shut up. Alann is my friend. We study together. We’re friends. I will text him when I get back to my room because that’s what friends do. Check up on each other.”

  “I don’t check on my friends.”

  “Because you’re a guy. Alann’s made himself my makeshift brother.”

  Gabriel’s eyes narrow. But not on me. No, that dark intense expression is for Alann alone.

  “That’s all you better be.”

  Alann snorts and stands up. They’re almost equal height and Alann rolls his eyes and walks back to his couch. Looks back to Gabriel and says, “You’re paying for my door, douche.”

  Gabriel looks to the splintered door and sighs. “Whatever.”

  “Gabriel. Let it go.”

  “No. He shouldn't have tried to take what’s mine.”

  I ignore the ‘mine’ comment for the moment and plead with him. “Gus, time to go home.�
�

  Gabriel grits his teeth, his jaw tightening. His ocean eyes darkening. And I know what I want to do. What I’m ready to do.

  I slide my hand down to his and pull him with me towards the broken door.

  “I’ll call you later, Alann.”

  “Be careful, Willow.”

  “I will.”

  Then Gabriel opens his mouth and I put my hand up over his mouth, silencing him. “Na-uh. Time to go home.”

  He keeps quiet as I pull him from Alann’s apartment, and we head to the elevator. Once we’re inside, I push him to one corner where he reluctantly goes, grumbling.

  “Give me your keys.”

  He takes a deep breath but doesn’t say anything and just stares at me.

  “You’re drunk, Gabriel. It’s a miracle you made it here in one piece. Now give me. Your. Keys.”

  Another breath and he’s digging in his pockets, retrieving his key fob and placing it slowly in my hand.

  “Do you have a driver’s license?”

  “Nope.”

  That makes him widen his eyes but otherwise he only says, “Fine. Don’t kill me.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because I fucked up. Big time.”

  “Oh, yeah. Massively. But, I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

  “There is, but I don’t know if I can tell you everything without hurting you or putting even more sadness in your eyes. Just like you have now. The sad eyes.”

  “You’ll tell me what you have to, Gus. You’ve never lied to me before. And I don’t have sad eyes.”

  “I didn’t want to go to you angry. And I haven’t lied to you. And I’ve seen them. Once or twice. As if you’re lost in thought, but also lost somewhere else.”

  “Were you? And what do you think just happened? She didn’t have her hands all over you for nothing.”

  I ignore the sad eyes part because he really is getting to know me so well it’s scary. I’m thrilled to know he notices but what just happened… if there’s not a good enough excuse for him being drunk and not thinking straight, I don’t want to be the ‘dumb freshman’ he said I was.

  “Extremely angry. And that bitch didn’t touch anything vital.”

  “Okay. Come on, Gabriel.”

  The elevator dings, letting us know we’re on the ground floor.

  I reach back for his hand and he takes it, a deep breath escaping his mouth before I drag him out to his truck. I open the passenger side door for him. He grunts as he hops in and I walk around to the driver’s side and climb in.

  “Can’t believe you went off with Worsch.”

  “I can’t believe you let that bitch put her paws all over you.”

  He grunts, but otherwise, he says nothing. I crank up his truck and while no, I don’t have a license yet, I know how to drive. I drove all the time back home.

  I drive out of the parking lot, thinking about where I’m going to take us. I can take us back to my dorm, where I know it’s safe and we won’t do anything but fool around. I should be angry at him. I am mad at him, but he’s never been drunk before, and he’s told me he doesn’t drink heavily when he ever does drink. A beer, maybe and that’s about it. He doesn’t like putting ‘bad crap’ in his body.

  So, what made him decide to drink tonight? I don’t want to play it safe anymore.

  And I know once I take him back to his place, we might do things I’m sure he thinks I’m not ready for. But I am. I’m ready to be with him. Something happened between the time his game was over to now that rocked his world off its stand.

  He’s never once disrespected me, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. That decided, I make my way back to his house. I know whatever happens tonight will change everything. And I’m not afraid. He admitted he messed up. I didn’t stick around to get all the details either.

  When I make the turn for his house instead of going straight towards the campus, I can feel the sexual tension in the truck closing in. His hands grip his jeans and I feel his eyes wandering over to me, but he doesn’t speak. Just his heavy breathing filling up the empty spaces of the truck.

  When I pull up to the house, the heavy breathing almost sounds as if he’s fallen asleep but when I look over to him, his eyes are wide open, and his grip is white knuckled on the knees of his jeans.

  “Willow. Why didn’t you drive back to your dorm room?”

  His deep, baritone voice always sends a tremble down my spine. We’ve agreed we wouldn’t come here until I was ready to take that next step, and even though he did mess up, Gabriel is a good man. I know it. He wouldn’t have gotten drunk if there wasn’t something wrong. I want to believe I know him t well. Not that three months is a long time, but spending almost every waking minute together, you get to know someone. Their habits. Strengths. Weaknesses. I know what I’m ready for. What’s one day?

  “Maybe because I don’t want to go there. If I did, I would have driven there instead.”

  “I could have dropped you off—

  “And what? Go back to the frat party and get with that bitch?”

  “Don’t curse, Willow. It’s beneath you.”

  “Fuck you, Gabe. If it’s what you really want, get out, and walk there. But you're not going to drive there.”

  “And what? You’ll take my truck, is that it?”

  “Maybe. Maybe I’ll run your ass over on the way.”

  “Turn off the truck, Willow.”

  “I’m still thinking about it.”

  “Turn off the fucking engine, Willow.”

  “Don’t talk to me like that.”

  He growls and reaches over, turns the key, and yanks it out. Then without another word, he gets out of the truck and walks around to the driver’s side. Because it’s petty and dumb, I push the locking mechanism just as he puts his hand on the handle. He jerks back and I admit, this comical look comes over his face. Like that James Franco GIF of him reeling back. I almost laugh, but the seriousness in his gaze as they flicker up to mine, means he doesn’t appreciate it. He tilts his head and shakes it. He lifts the key fob and presses the unlocking button and pulls open the door none-too-gently.

  “Gabriel.” I know there’s a reprimanding tone in my voice, but Gabriel throws his hand up to stop me.

  “God, woman. Shut up.” He pushes open the seat belt and pulls me out of the truck, pressing my body with his massive one against his truck.

  “Gabriel—

  “Nope. Lips. Now.” Then he plants his mouth on mine and takes away my breath. My thoughts. My clarity. When we kiss… it’s like… life. Death. Need. Desire. Every single moment has led to this. He releases me and our eyes catch. “We’re at my house, Willow.”

  I know the meaning in his tone, and I nod my head. “I know, Gus. Take me inside.”

  A haze falls over him and he reaches to slam the truck door shut. Since he loves carrying me, he bends and lifts me in his arms, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I let him carry me to the front of the house.

  “Are you still wasted?”

  “No. The anger I felt all the way to Worsch’s apartment burned the alcohol and the fighting put everything in perspective.”

  “So, you could have driven?”

  “Of course. I would never drive with you in my truck if I was wasted, baby. I wanted to see how you drove, little miss ‘I don’t have a license’. And you drove just fine. You know I don’t normally drink.”

  “Why did you drink? And does that mean I can drive your truck whenever I want?”

  “Yes, whenever you want. And I’ll explain what I can inside, baby. Please.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and lean up to kiss his jaw. Then the corner of his lips and when I set my lips on his, it’s a soft, trusting kiss.

  “Alright. I’m ready.”

  I am. In more ways than one. I lay my head on his chest as he walks us inside and up the stairs.

  I feel the evidence of his desire rub against the gym shorts Alann let me borrow and I rub agains
t him, causing his hands to contract on my behind.

  “Willow…,” he mutters and then we’re inside his room and he’s kissing me. Hard. Demanding. Punishing. And I love it. I love him. So much. I feel it deep down. He lets go and rests his forehead on mine. When he breathes, I can smell the liquor on his breath, and I’m brought back to reality.

  “Gabriel. What happened?”

  “My father. I learned a lot of shit tonight that I can’t erase and the only thing I knew would clear my mind was getting plastered.”

  “What did he say?”

  There’s a hesitation inside him that worries me, but when his eyes meet mine, it feels like he’s searching for something.

  “Have you ever been told you were a mistake?”

  “What? He actually said that to you?”

  Gabriel grits his teeth as if he thinks he’s said too much. I take his face in my hands and force him to look back down to me. How a parent could ever say that to their child disgusts me and if I wasn’t so caught up in Gabriel, I’d go find Marcus Saint and kick him in the nuts. What a total asshole. Well, Gabriel doesn’t have to worry. He’s got me.

  “Well, you’re not. If that’s what he thinks, then fuck him. You’re not a mistake to me. I’ll never throw you away, Gus.”

  “Promise me.”

  Three

  Willow

  Another promise. But this is one I have no problem saying and keeping.

  “I promise, Gus. You’re not a mistake. You here. I’m here. This is kismet.”

  He groans and kisses me hard. Once we catch our breath again, he whispers, “Wash that bitch’s hands off me, Willow. I’m so sorry I did that to you. Forgive me.”

  His eyes are focused on mine and a part of me wants to stay mad, but then his earlier words kind of struck a chord in me. When I told him he wasn’t my husband and he said not yet. I wonder if it’s something he remembers. Not that I plan on asking, but he was so adamant. So resolute.

  “This time. Don’t ever do that to me again. Or—

  His hands go to my waist and the band of the shorts. “Did I tell you how fucking hot you looked tonight? Are these his?”

  The one-eighty change is one thing I should have predicted, but he does continue to take me by surprise.